Barnes and Noble is one of the largest bookstores with many full-time and part-time job opportunities. In addition, with the retail store expanding its services to the food industry, you can apply for an entry-level role in the company as a bookseller, barista, or cashier.
However, the retail store receives many applications, and getting a role can sometimes be daunting, especially during the low season. As a job seeker, you must modify your job application to be among the best. This article sheds light on Barnes and Noble’s job application and hiring process to allow you to submit a winning job application.
Common Job Openings at Barnes and Noble
Barnes and Noble have over 600 bookstores in 50 states. In high seasons the retail store hires seasonal workers to handle the shopping rush. So if you are a student looking for a part-time role, you can apply to be a part-time bookseller during the holiday season. Another common role at Barnes and Noble is a barista; if you do not mind working in a coffee shop, you can apply as a full-time or part-time barista.
Bookseller – PT
With over 600 stores in 50 states, you will likely get a role as a bookseller at Barnes and Noble. Part-time employees take most booksellers’ positions; thus, retail stores always have openings for seasonal workers. As a bookseller, you attend to customers buying books.
Your responsibilities include greeting customers, answering questions, offering book suggestions, replenishing stock, and notifying managers of trends. If you are a book lover with experience in excellent customer service, this role would be ideal for you.
The hourly wage rate for this role is around $10.58 and thus is suitable for students looking for ways to earn some money while gaining experience. In addition, the role comes with benefits such as discounts on books, sick days, and a 401K savings plan. However, the position has little career progression and is only good as a temporary job. Thus it is not ideal for you if you are looking for a place to start and grow your career.
Barista – PT
With the company expanding to food services, they have demands for baristas to work in the coffee shops. So, If you love brewing coffee and baking, you can apply for a barista role in a Barnes and Noble cafe. As a barista, your part is to make coffee and bake snacks.
Previous work experience in the role would increase your likelihood of being hired for the position. Since you will take many orders, you must be very smart and agile. Also, the role demands a lot of physical fitness as you will be standing and moving around.
The average hourly wage for this role is $10.02 and thus is only suitable for a temporary span. The low wage rates with minimal benefits make the position undesirable to many. As a result, most barista roles are taken up by high school employees or job seekers in desperate need of a job.
Management Roles
Barnes and Noble occasionally has roles in managerial positions such as head cashier, store manager, café manager, and assistant store manager. You need to have previous experience in similar executive positions to apply for these roles. These full-time roles include benefits such as a 401(k) savings plan, paid sick days, and healthcare coverage, including dental plans, life insurance, and short-term and long-term disability plans.
The salaries for managerial roles range from $24,000-$28,000 per year. Some management responsibilities include managing inventory, supervising employees, managing the cash register, training new employees, and handling customer complaints. Openings in these roles are occasional and thus very competitive, so you must portray yourself as the most suitable manager to be considered for the position.
Applying to Barnes and Noble
Applying for a job at Barnes and Noble is entirely done online. What you do is visit their career website and search for current openings. Usually, the page displays all current open roles at the retail store, but you can refine your search to a particular job in a specific location. For example, if you are looking for booksellers roles in Oklahoma, you can refine your search to Oklahoma bookseller-PT Citrus Heights. The page will bring you all booksellers’ vacancies at Citrus Heights.
The next step after getting your preferred job is to create an online profile by clicking the “APPLY NOW ” button. Next, you fill in the required fields and submit your profile. After you have verified your account, you can now start filling in the online job application form. You want to ensure that you optimize your application with the job keywords to increase your chances of being selected.
Now that you have to fill out all the required fields in the application form, submit it and wait for feedback from the hiring manager. Typically you will get feedback within 14 days.
Barnes and Noble Interview Process
Typically, if your online job application is successful, the next step is an interview with the hiring manager. Ideally, the hiring team will contact you to schedule an interview, either a physical or a phone one. For barista and bookseller roles, the interview process is one stage that takes up to 30 minutes.
However, if you are applying for a managerial position, you will go through a series of interview stages. Usually, the initial interview stage is to test your personality and suitability for the job. Later they will try your technical skills and ability to deliver the required output.
During the interview, you will come across common interview questions such as “What is your favorite book?”, “What fascinates you about working here?” or “Give us an example of an experience where you showed great customer service.”
Therefore, the trick to acing this stage is to understand the job overview and do a mock interview in preparation for the actual interview. You want to rehearse and familiarize yourself with some of the best interview answers that will give you an upper hand during the job interview. Every stage is critical, so you want to give it the seriousness it deserves.
If you ace the interview, ideally you will have the job. The bookstore chain usually takes a week to offer you a job. Remember that Barnes and Noble compete with other large bookstores, so they only hire employees with excellent customer skills.
Conclusion
Barnes and Noble’s bookstores offer many full and part-time roles. Most of these roles come with requirements that you can easily meet. For example, with good knowledge of books, good communication skills, and great customer service, you can get a role as a bookseller. Additionally, the job application process is straightforward and entirely done online. So if you are a student or a fresh graduate looking for a temporary role, Barnes and Noble has a place for you.